Pioneering continuing education program prepares public school teachers to use AI critically and apply it to contemporary environmental challenges
Paraíba will be one of the first Brazilian states to promote large-scale training for public school teachers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to education. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the State Secretariat for Science, Technology, Innovation and Higher Education of Paraíba (Secties), the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), and Ilum School of Science.
The program aims to train one thousand teachers from the second cycle of Elementary School and from High School in the state public school system of Paraíba, in two classes of 500 participants each. Registration opens this month, and the first group is expected to begin in July.
Lasting four months and offered completely virtually, the course combines synchronous and asynchronous activities, allowing the participation of educators from all regions of the state. The goal is to prepare teachers to understand and use Artificial Intelligence tools in a critical, ethical, and contextualized way, connecting the technology to one of the greatest challenges of our time: the climate emergency.
“The goal is not just to introduce new technologies, but to help teachers reflect on how they can contribute to the education of students capable of understanding complex problems and building solutions for the future”, explains Felippe Colombari, initiative coordinator at Ilum.
The program combines knowledge from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Data Science, and Humanities in an interdisciplinary approach focused on understanding climate change and developing innovative educational strategies.
This initiative is aligned with the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan (PBIA), UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Teachers, published in 2025, and the guidelines of the Brazilian National Common Curriculum Base (BNCC).
In addition to discussing the fundamentals of AI, the program will address the responsible use of the technology in educational environments, exploring pedagogical possibilities, limitations, ethical issues, and social impacts. Participants will also have contact with open-source language models adapted to the school context, expanding opportunities for practical application of the knowledge acquired.
The program was developed by Ilum School of Science, CNPEM’s higher education institution recognized for its interdisciplinary and innovative educational model. Located in Campinas (SP), the school integrates knowledge from Life Sciences, Matter Sciences, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Humanities to train professionals capable of addressing the major contemporary global challenges.
By training a thousand teachers, the program is expected to broaden the reach of knowledge about Artificial Intelligence to thousands of students in the Paraíba public school system, strengthening the scientific, digital, and environmental culture in the state’s schools.
